Getting out of bed in the dark is not always the easiest thing to do. But if you want to create beautiful landscape images you have to do it. Fortunately I usually wake up early when I'm camping and that's just what I was doing last week when I went down to Southern Utah and Northern Arizona to meet up with some photographer friends to explore some of the beautiful desert country that exists in my state and neighboring Arizona. We've been in a drought situation this year due to the lack of snow that fills our reservoirs during the spring runoff, but we've had a fair amount of rain this summer and the deserts and mountain sides are quite green. It was a four-day trip for me with two nights spent out in the middle of no-where. Our first night outside saw rain during the day as we setup camp, but we were blessed with a beautiful sunset as the storms cleared out. I tried my hand at night photography after sundown because we were treated to a beautiful star filled sky. The next day I was up early photographing in the morning light. Afterward we packed up the gear and headed for the next location, White Pocket, Arizona. The last hour of the drive called for high centered vehicles and deflated tires. One of our friends left his Subaru at a picnic area and jumped in with one of us for the trip in. After setting up camp I grabbed my gear and hiked a sandy trail into the rock formations of White Pocket. It was spectacular! Photographing until dark, I was lost in another world, hiking from one place to another stopping only to create images along the way. I only wish I had a few more days. The next morning I took my drone down to do some aerial shots, packed up, said good bye to my friend and started the 6 and a half hour trip home. I'm already thinking about my next trip. Want to come? Just remember you'll have to get up early in the morning! 

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